29-year-old infielder played second base, third base, and first base in Triple-A in 2024 between Tacoma and Charlotte. Chavis played parts of five seasons in the majors with Boston, Pittsburgh, and Washington.
The Dodgers added another non-roster invitee to camp in spring training at Camelback Ranch, signing infielder Michael Chavis to a minor league contract.
Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic first reported the Chavis deal on Friday.
Even after signing Kiké Hernández on Tuesday, the Dodgers still only have 16 position players on the 40-man roster. But their depth in that area comes from players otherwise ticketed to start the season in Triple-A Oklahoma City. Catcher/outfielder Dalton Rushing and shortstop Alex Freeland, each consensus top-100 prospects, could play their way to the majors this season. Veteran infielder David Bote, a non-roster invitee, has played parts of six seasons in the majors.
Chavis, 29, has played in five major league seasons for the Red Sox, Pirates, and Nationals. But he spent 2024 in Triple-A, first with Tacoma (a Mariners affiliate) then Charlotte (White Sox), hitting a combined .257/.333/.444 with a 96 wRC+, 16 home runs and 26 doubles in 113 games.
During his five seasons in the majors, Chavis is a .238/.283/.401 hitter with an 80 wRC+ and 31.9-percent strikeout rate, and 42 home runs in 357 games. After a .322 on-base percentage as a rookie with Boston in 2019, Chavis hasn’t topped a .281 OBP in the majors since.
In the majors, Chavis has mostly played first base and second base, but has also seen time at third base and left field, plus five innings in right field. In Triple-A in 2024, he played mostly third base with Tacoma and mostly second base with Charlotte. On the season he combined for 48 starts at second, 33 starts at third, and 20 starts at first base.
Should Chavis get called up at some point, he has four years, 89 days of major league service time, and like Bote has one option year remaining.
Adding Chavis and the reported deal with outfielder Eddie Rosario (more on that soon) gives the Dodgers 27 non-roster invitees in camp, including 14 pitchers and 13 position players.